Kumaun University, Nainital

Kumaun University (KU) is a public state university headquartered in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India, established in 1973 under the Uttar Pradesh State Universities Act to decentralize higher education for the mountainous Kumaon region. It was formed by merging the Dev Singh Bisht (D.S.B.) Government P.G. College in Nainital (established 1951) and the Almora Government P.G. College. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs across eight faculties and affiliates over 109 government and private colleges, serving about 150,000 students. It operates three constituent campuses: the DSB Campus in Nainital, the Sir J.C. Bose Technical Campus in Bhimtal, and the newly established Meru Campus in Patwadangar. In 2020, its Almora campus was elevated into the independent Soban Singh Jeena University, narrowing KU's jurisdiction to Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. The university is recognized by the UGC and accredited with an 'A' Grade by NAAC. It houses research facilities including a UGC Centre of Advanced Studies in Physics and the Himalaya Museum, established in 1987. In 2025, KU ranked 73rd in India in NIRF for Pharmacy, and 25th nationally among government universities in the 2026 India Today survey.